Proposed North Sea and West of Scotland for Monk/Anglerfish Fisheries Management Plans

Background

Stock

Two species of anglerfish are found in the waters around the UK: the white anglerfish, Lophius piscatorius, and the black-bellied anglerfish, Lophius budegassa. The two species coexist over much of the northeast Atlantic, but the black-bellied anglerfish has a more southerly distribution and is much less common in UK waters than the white anglerfish. The majority of anglerfish caught in UK waters are L. piscatorius.

Fishing methods vary between countries, with the UK and international fleets using predominantly benthic (seabed) trawls, gillnets and entangling nets. The figures within this FMP primarily focus on UK fishing vessels, as these are the vessels for which we have accurate data. This is explained further in the fishery section below.

Anglerfish are demersal or bottom dwelling species and inhabit a wide range of depths, extending from quite shallow inshore waters down to around 1000m.

They are predatory fish with few natural enemies once of mature size. Although mainly sedentary, they are capable of long migrations potentially associated with feeding and spawning, and will also swim up through water column on occasion.

The recent ICES assessment estimates an increase in recruitment in recent years. Following years of low biomass in the early 2000s, spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has been steadily increasing in recent years. This is in line with the expectation that the stock was relatively highly exploited during the late 1990s and early 2000s with high catches, and that fishing pressure has reduced in recent years.

Location

The biological stock is found in ICES areas 4 (North Sea) and 6 (Rockall and West of Scotland), and in Division 3.a (Skagerrak and Kattegat). For management purposes, there are two separate TAC areas, denoted by ICES codes ANF/2AC4-C (North Sea) which includes ICES area 4 and UK waters in ICES area 2.a; and ANF/56-14 which includes ICES area 6 and UK and international waters of areas 5.b and 14. This FMP is only intended to apply to fishing activity within UK waters in North Sea, Rockall and West Coast of Scotland (ICES areas 4 and 6), although in some cases (for example, in relation to our approach to international negotiations with other countries), actions may apply more broadly to the wider biological stock.

The below figures show the location of the ICES areas, along with the known distribution of the Northern Shelf anglerfish stocks within areas 4 and 6, according to the latest available survey data.

Most Northern Shelf anglerfish caught in UK waters are caught in ICES area 4.a with the remaining 20% predominantly being caught in ICES area 6.a.

Fishery

Fishing for Northern Shelf anglerfish in UK waters takes place as part of a mixed fishery, meaning that Northern Shelf anglerfish is caught alongside other fish stocks, usually other whitefish. There are many shared characteristics between these whitefish stocks, and similarities in where and how they are fished. When considering management action for Northern Shelf anglerfish as part of this FMP, and in wider management considerations such as the setting of fishing opportunities, fisheries policy authorities consider the role of Northern Shelf anglerfish in the wider marine ecosystem. Many of the issues that are considered as part of this FMP are applicable across demersal whitefish fisheries, and therefore the actions required are often not specific to one particular stock or fishery.

It is important to note that the figures provided in this section are based on the latest available data which is from 2022. Whilst this section provides a snapshot of the fishery at this time, it will not reflect any more recent changes in the fishery.

Anglerfish are commonly caught as part of a demersal targeted fishery, almost exclusively in the North Sea and the West of Scotland. A sizeable portion (20%) of the anglerfish catch is landed as bycatch by the Nephrops-targeting fleet, although the size of tonnage and value landed by this fleet suggests it may be as a result of targeted efforts, instead of bycatch.

Analysis of the UK fishing fleet indicates that, between 2015 and 2022, ~80% of Northern Shelf anglerfish was caught in ICES area 4 (79% in 4.a), with some annual fluctuations. The remaining 20% was caught in ICES area 6.a. Between 2015 and 2022, the UK fleet caught on average, ~65% of the anglerfish landed within both ICES areas. The remaining 35% was caught predominantly by the EU fleet (notably Denmark (10%) and France (8%) and the Norwegian fleet (5%). Of the 2022 UK fleet landings of anglerfish within these areas, Scottish-registered vessels accounted for 93% of the landings, English vessels 6%, and Northern Irish vessels <1% of the catch.

Further analysis of the UK fisheries data shows that around 90% of anglerfish is caught utilising trawls, with the remaining catch landed by gill nets and entangling nets.

Table – Northern Shelf anglerfish caught by gear type used, for the UK fleet.

The tonnage of anglerfish landed has been relatively stable between 2015 and 2022, around the 10,500t mark with some annual fluctuations. Changes in the landed value have primarily arisen due to changes in the price per tonne (PPT) of anglerfish. This has risen steadily, year on year, from ~£2,400 in 2015 to ~ £3,250 in 2022, with a small dip during COVID-19 years. Anglerfish remains one of the most valuable demersal species for the UK fleet, with a landed value of around £35 million in 2022.

Almost all anglerfish caught by the UK fleet is landed into the UK (98%), with only a very small amount (2%) landed abroad. The main landing districts for anglerfish in the UK were in the North and North East of Scotland, and Shetland. Between 2015 and 2022, Peterhead landed 23% of the anglerfish tonnage, Shetland landed 21% and Wick landed 19%. Other major, but less sizeable, districts included Fraserburgh and Kinlochbervie, who landed 11% and 8% of the catch, respectively. Outwith the UK, Spain is the primary foreign landing choice for the UK fleet, who accounted for 1% of the anglerfish catch.

Within these districts, anglerfish held differing levels of importance for different ports. Peterhead lands around ~25% of the total anglerfish landed value in the UK, but derives only 5% of its total landed value from the species. Anglerfish was a more significant stock for Scrabster and Fraserburgh, who attributed 20% and 12%, respectively, of their total landed value to the species. For other ports, anglerfish also represented a fishery of significance. Anglerfish represents 28% of the landed value at Kinlochbervie; for Scalloway and Isles, it represented nearly 20% of the port’s landed value; and for Cullivoe, it made up 18% of the port’s landed value. It is clear that anglerfish represents a sizeable portion of landed value for several ports, making it a significant species of importance for said ports.

Anglerfish is also an important species for various segments of the UK fleet. Between 2015 and 2022, it represented a 20% share of the North Sea and West of Scotland demersal under 24m’s tonnage, and a 21–26% share of the fleet’s landed value (depending on sub-segmentation). It represented 15% of the gillnetters fleet’s landed value, and 16% of the North Sea and West of Scotland demersal over 24m fleet’s landed value. It also represented over 10% of the North Sea Nephrops over 300kW fleet’s landed value, although further verification is needed to determine whether this is intentional or due to bycatch (as discussed above).

Many of the fleets which derive a large proportion of their landed value from anglerfish are key employers in the fishing industry. In 2022, the North Sea and West of Scotland (NSWOS) demersal under 24m fleet accounted for 194 FTE; the gillnetters fleet accounted for 271 FTE and the North Sea Nephrops over 300kW fleet accounted for over 800 FTE^[5]. Whilst deriving the exact impact that anglerfish has on the employment practices of these fleets is difficult, it is clear that anglerfish plays an important part in sustaining a large number of fleets, who are responsible for significant employment within the UK fishing industry.

Fishing vessels usually target different stocks at different times of year, but because of the mixed nature of the fishery, it is too difficult to separate out the precise differences between vessels and the whitefish they catch, beyond the figures and detail provided within the FMP.